Falling, or More Like Stumbling
by Sara Jaye
Summary: A series of unconnected LancexSilver ficlets. Fluff, angst, adventure and Silver being a total derp.
1. I'm Not Him

Yes, this uses the "Giovanni killed himself" theory. I don't believe it's canon, but I do believe it's plausible.

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><p>When Silver had said he was going to Tohjo Falls for a while, Lance wasn't too worried. Then he remembered the fate of Giovanni, Silver's reaction to discovering his fate, and<em> then<em> he was worried.

Silver wouldn't do anything like that, he tried to remind himself. He was angry at his father for such weakness and had vowed to never become him. But he'd seemed so out of it lately, especially this morning...images of Silver throwing himself from the cliff, lying motionless in the water crept into his mind and Lance shuddered._ Maybe I better go find him, just in case._

He found Silver in the cave beneath the falls. Alive, to his relief, still moping but still alive. His Pokemon surrounded him, serving as both comfort and protection.

"Hey."

Silver's head snapped up at the sound of his voice, and he nodded.

"Hey," he said. "Came to check up on me, did you?"

"Yeah, I did," Lance admitted. "Wanted to make sure you-"

"Didn't do anything stupid?" The boy smiled crookedly. "Boy, you don't think much of me, do you?" Lance almost laughed at that; his Silver was beginning to resurface. Silver recalled his Pokemon and Lance sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Considering you went to visit the place of your father's death, I couldn't help but worry a little," he said. "I'm glad you've proven me wrong."

"Why would I do something like that?" Silver snorted. "Didn't I swear up and down that no matter what I did, I'd never be like my dad? Why would I repeat his dumbest, weakest, most selfish mistake?" He shook his head. "Never thought I'd be saying this but don't you know me better than that?"

"...I suppose so," Lance said. "But Silver, with the way you've been lately...well, can you honestly blame me for worrying? If by some chance you ever felt desperate enough..." He tightened his hold on the boy. "I don't want to lose you, Silver."

"H-hey..." Silver turned to look at him, his eyes uncharacteristically soft. "Don't go getting all weepy on me now." He smiled, a real one this time. "I'm here."

"I know." Lance pulled him into a snug embrace, stroking his hair. "I know."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily," Silver snorted. "I've still gotta get you back for making me feel all gushy and stupid inside, remember?" Lance actually did laugh at that, then became serious again.

"Next time you feel like this, come talk to me first," he said. "I said I'd be here for you no matter what. Don't make a liar out of me."

Silver nodded, then pulled back slightly to look into Lance's eyes.

"All right." He smiled. "Thanks...you know, for worrying about me. Even if it's annoying." Lance chuckled, leaning in to kiss his forehead.

"You really are cute." Silver frowned, poking him sharply in the chest.

"Don't _call_ me that!" And Lance just laughed heartily because Silver was his Silver again and he knew everything was going to be fine.


	2. Of Kitchen Mishaps and Denial

He knew there would be trouble the moment Silver took over the kitchen, but he hadn't expected this. Ingredients spilled everywhere, a pan filled with sticky burned rice and other unidentifiable things, a pot of something boiling over and Silver frantically running around trying to fix everything.

"Ahem." Lance cleared his throat, and Silver froze in his tracks.

"G-get out! It's not done yet!"

"You mean there's more of my kitchen you haven't destroyed?" Lance teased. "Honestly, I knew you were a terrible cook, but this is almost funny." Silver glared at him as he attempted to scrape the rice from the pan.

"Don't get any ideas," he muttered. "I'm not doing this to earn my keep or trying to cook something nice for _you._ I got bored." Lance snorted; even as their relationship progressed Silver still held stubbornly to old habits, but by now Lance could tell when he meant one of his snippy remarks and when he was just fronting.

"Right," he said. "That's why you used all my favorite spices?"

"They were the first ones I could find!" Silver laid the pan in the sink. Lance chuckled, going over to the stove and turning off the heat under the pot.

"Tell me you'll at least help me clean this mess up," he said. Silver gave him a dirty look as he began to sponge down the counter.

"I never asked for your _help_. I did it, so I'll clean it up, it's that simple." He leaned over to scrub a stain at the far end of the counter, and Lance's breath caught in his throat. There was something so appealing about watching him try and struggle with simple household chores. Not the struggling itself, of course, but the fact that he was trying, that he was making the effort to help no matter how much he denied it.

Of course, the denial was adorable, too. Lance stepped up behind the younger trainer, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"You're sure you can handle all this on your own?" Silver froze, squeezing the sponge extra hard.

"_Yes_! Now stop touching me, I'm trying to finish!"

"Hmm..." Lance leaned closer. He could feel Silver squirming and backing into him. "You sure now?" He brushed some of Silver's hair aside and blew his warm breath against his neck. Silver bit back a moan and tried to shove him off.

"Cut that out!"

"You really are adorable sometimes, Silver," Lance said. Silver growled, wrenched himself from Lance's grasp and threw the sponge at him.

"I am not! How many times do I have to tell you?" But he was blushing.

"You are. Deal with it." Lance poked the tip of his nose, and Silver glared at him, blushing harder than ever now.

"Damn you," he muttered. "Why do you always do this to me?"

"Do what?"

"I feel all stupid and melty inside again and it's _all your fault_," Silver complained. Lance chuckled and drew him close for a kiss, which Silver returned with a stumbling, eager passion. Even his inexperience was endearing.

"You really are cute," Lance said once they pulled back, and Silver huffed.

"Stop calling me that!" But he was smiling a little. "Can I get back to cleaning now? You know, so you don't bitch me out over it the next day."

"If you'll let me help," Lance insisted. Silver sighed, a bit dramatically.

"Fine."

It was a miracle that they managed to finish before nightfall.


	3. Talk to the Dead

_Giovanni died of natural causes in this. Just for the record._

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><p>He didn't even know what the hell he was doing here.<p>

He'd been an angry, confused seventeen-year-old boy when his dad died, and for four years he'd been content to just forget him. Why should he care? They'd never even been close, would Dad have given a damn if it were him?

It was Clair of all people who suggested he visit Dad's grave._ Just get it over with, maybe then you'll stop pouting and whining about it so much_. He was still pissed at her for that remark, he didn't pout and whine. That was for weaklings. Sometimes he got a little down about it, but that was it.

Silver sighed, running a hand through his hair as he approached the headstone. Most people cut their hair as they aged but he'd kept his long, even letting it grow a few inches. _Giovanni Vittorio_, the stone read. Date of birth, date of death. Nothing else.

"So what the hell am I supposed to do here?" he muttered. "It's not like you care how I'm doing. Never did. And it's not like I miss you or anything." When Ethan's grandmother died, his family had spent the day mourning the loss of a great woman. When Lyra's father died, everyone had talked for hours about the good memories they had with him. Clair and Lance remembered their grandparents with fond sentiment.

What did Silver have? His most vivid memory of Dad was him walking away from everything, never to be seen again. Even when he'd eventually come back to Viridian he hadn't bothered to tell Silver, as if trying to start over and build a new relationship was too much effort.

Not that it mattered, of course, Silver thought bitterly.

"There's so much I've been wanting to say to you," he sighed. "So much I wanted to ask."

He'd always known his dad didn't really love him, and he'd come to accept that even as a child. They'd never been close, to Dad Silver was just a potential replacement. Heir to the Team Rocket throne. Silver wasn't the type of person to lament and despair that Daddy didn't love him, if earning Daddy's love meant being a perfect clone of him he didn't want it.

"I'm not even sure how I felt about you," he muttered. "I mean...I guess I loved you in a way, you were the only father I ever had. But I didn't even _know_ you." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's just as well, though."

Memories of that one rumor came to mind, that Dad had thrown himself from the cliffs at Tohjo Falls. He remembered panicking, wondering why he was even so upset before the rumor was proven false. _Why should I care?_

"Well, just so you know I'm doing fine. Yeah, life was shitty for a while, but I got through. I learned the real meaning of strength, no thanks to you. I've got my friends now, I've got great Pokemon..." He smirked. "A great boyfriend." Even if Ethan and Lyra had been his first true friends, he didn't know how he would have gotten through the past four years if not for Lance. "Yeah, boyfriend. You heard me. Former Champion of Johto." He smiled. "So it looks like I didn't need you after all, Dad. Just like you didn't need me."

He traced a fingertip over the stone's cold surface, the smirk fading into a sad smile.

"...sleep well, old man," he whispered, then turned and headed out of the cemetary. Lance and Dragonite were still waiting there.

"You okay?" Lance asked, wrapping an arm around him. Silver nodded, leaning against his boyfriend's side.

"I will be."


	4. I Care, Deal With It

For once in his life, Silver actually felt stupid about his choices.

Granted, he hadn't expected to get _lost _in Seafoam Islands, but as he lay in bed groaning and sniffling and hating every minute of it he realized he could have at least brought a map, or some warmer clothes. Even if it meant doing it because someone else had said to. It would be worth sinking so low as to take someone's advice, just so he wouldn't end up with a nasty head cold and being taken care of by the last person he wanted fussing over him.

"How are you feeling?"

Silver groaned, peeking at Lance out of the corner of his eye.

"Like crap," he muttered. "That doesn't mean I need you taking care of me, though. I'll buy some cold medicine and sleep in a Pokemon Center."

"How about no." Lance brushed a hand across his forehead. "You're pretty feverish," he said. "You're not even getting out of bed until your temperature goes down." Silver gave him a dirty look.

"You're lucky I'm too tired to move a muscle or I'd hit you for that."

"For touching you?"

"Damn right. You know I hate being touched." And he did. Especially by Lance, no matter how cool and soothing Lance's hand felt or no matter how comforting-_no!_ There was _nothing _comforting about Lance taking care of him like he was some sort of invalid. Nothing at all.

"Be that as it may, you're in no shape to be going anywhere on your own," Lance said.

"Then fly me to the Pokemon Center and drop me off," Silver grumbled, stifling a sneeze.

"No."

"Why?"

"I found you, so I'm taking it upon myself to care for you until you're better," Lance said simply.

"Oh." Silver's face darkened. "So you're doing it cause you _have _to, I get it." Obligation, something he was all too familiar with. "Don't bother. I'd rather feel like shit and be all alone than have someone look after me because they have to. Stop pretending you give a damn." He saw Lance cringe, then heard him sigh.

"Maybe that wasn't the best choice of words," he said guiltily. "Silver, I didn't do it because I felt like I had to, that's not what I meant."

"Whatever." Silver coughed, burying his face in the pillow so he didn't have to look at him. Lance sighed again, sitting down beside him and gently squeezing his shoulder.

"Silver, listen to me."

"Just go away, wake me again when it's time for my pill or something."

"_Silver._" His tone was firm, but gentle. "I give a damn about you. That's why I brought you back to my house," Lance said, patting the back of Silver's head. "Leaving you at the Pokemon Center didn't even cross my mind."

Silver raised his head a little.

"You wanted to take care of me that much? Boy, you must really like seeing me weak and suffering," he said with a cough.

"No." Lance stroked his hair. "I care about you. When I saw you passed out in the Seafoam Islands cave, it spooked me. I thought something much worse had happened to you, and when it turned out you were just sleeping and lost I was so relieved." An unwelcome warmth spread through Silver's chest at this, and he turned away.

"Well, I can still take care of myself," he muttered, then broke into a fit of coughing. _Damn it! Stupid body, why'd you have to turn against me like that? _Lance sat and rubbed his back until the coughs subsided, then offered him the water glass on the nightstand. Silver silently accepted it, taking a long drink before putting it back down. "You don't need to do this."

"Sometimes we have to let other people take care of us, Silver," Lance said. "I know you hate it, but for once in your life, just accept it? Please?"

He'd never had anyone to take care of him. When he was little and he'd get sick his father would drop him off with a nurse, who would give him medicine and tell him to just lie still. But Lance seemed genuinely concerned for his well-being...he didn't know what was worse, knowing Lance cared or realizing he appreciated it.

"It's okay, Silver," Lance said, stroking his face, and Silver buried his face in the pillow with a moan.

"Fine! But only if you don't touch me anymore!"

"Very well." Lance smiled, pulling the blanket over Silver's shoulders. "I'm going to get you some soup and some more medicine, okay?"

"Fine." Silver clutched the blanket to his chest, curling up into a little ball and sniffling. That unwelcome warmth crept into his heart again, but he was too tired to try to fight it.

_Stupid Lance._


	5. Just a Dumb Holiday

Valentine's Day fic in August? Totally out of place but it's been in my head and I had to write it. XD

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><p>Valentine's Day was one of the most polarizing holidays ever, you either loved it or hated it. Lance was one of the few somewhere in between; while it wasn't a big deal to him he didn't exactly hate it.<p>

Now that he had a boyfriend, though, the holiday meant just a bit more to him. Not to the point where he'd bury Silver in roses and candy, but he couldn't help wanting to show his love just a little more than usual.

"Good morning, Silver!" he said cheerfully as the trainer walked into the kitchen.

"Hey." Silver poured himself a glass of orange juice, barely noticing the rose Lance held. Lance grinned, brushing the petals aganst his cheek.

"Say, Silver...you know what today is, right?"

"No, what?" Silver brushed the rose aside and sat down at the table, sipping his juice. Lance shrugged; somehow he wasn't surprised Silver hadn't given any thought to the day. Even now he remained somewhat cynical about holidays and special occasions even if he actually enjoyed himself in the end. And of course, he was very awkward about sentiment.

But that didn't mean he couldn't tease him a little.

"Why, Silver!" He pretended to look hurt. "Don't tell me you forgot Valentine's Day! Does this mean you don't have a special something for me?" Silver twitched, setting his glass down.

"Why does it matter?"

"Oh, Silver..." Lance shook his head and sighed melodramatically. "And to think I thought I meant something to you." Almost immediately he knew he'd gone too far; Silver jumped out of his seat and turned to glare at him.

"Why does everyone make such a big damn deal out of Valentine's Day anyway?" he snapped. "All the candy and flowers and sappy cards, people wasting their money to spoil their one true love for one lousy day out of the year!" Lance cringed; he knew Silver didn't like being teased but he hadn't expected him to get this angry.

"Calm down, I was just-"

"I mean, really," Silver continued. "What's the point of giving you flowers or candy or some stupid card on one day of the year when I love you every day?" As soon as the words left his mouth, both he and Lance gasped._ Did he just.._. He'd expected this even _less_...in fact, he'd never expected to hear those words come from Silver's mouth.

"Silver..." A laugh burst as he flung his arms around his boyfriend, nuzzling the top of his head. "Forget everything I just said. That was the best Valentine's Day present I could've ever gotten!"

"...did I just..." Silver fell against him with a melodramatic groan. "I said it, didn't I? I really said it." He sighed. "Well, now it's out in the open."

"Well, I've always suspected how you really felt about me," Lance chuckled, kissing his forehead. "But it's nice to have it confirmed." Silver blushed, trying to look as mad as possible and failing miserably.

"Enjoy it, cause you'll never hear it from me again," he grumbled.

"Yeah, I kinda figured." Lance pulled back to give him a quick kiss on the lips. "Happy Valentine's Day, Silver." Silver smiled a little, picked up the rose and poked Lance with the stem.

"Yeah. Same to you."


	6. Your Deepest Fear

One thing that would never change about Silver was his stubborn pride. It was just how he was wired, the way Lyra was wired to smile and Ethan was wired to be a dork; Lance had more than gotten used to it by now, to the point of finding it endearing in a strange way. Silver was clumsy with his emotions and displays of affection, even when he and Lance were alone, and that was just how things were.

So of course Lance was shocked out of his skin one day when Silver came knocking frantically at the door, calling his name. He opened the door and Silver rushed inside, throwing himself against Lance with a half-yell, half-cry of fear.

"Silver?" Kicking the door shut behind him, Lance wrapped his arms tightly around the trainer; Silver grabbed at the fabric of Lance's shirt, trembling and gasping as if he were about to cry. "I'm here, Silver, I'm here. It's okay. It's okay," Lance whispered, rubbing his back. After a few moments Silver managed to calm down.

"I ran into Petrel," he said once he had his breathing under control. "He said Team Rocket was looking for me and that as soon as they brought me back to Dad he was gonna revive it again and he wanted me as his second in command."

Lance frowned, tightening his hold on the younger trainer.

"I see."

"He even tried to drag me along with him. Don't worry, I punched him out good," Silver said. "I mean, it's not like I'm _scared_ of him."

"Right. That's why you ran in here and threw yourself at me," Lance snorted.

"I wasn't scared of _Petrel,_ that guy's an idiot," Silver muttered. "But...if it's true, if Dad's really here and he wants to get me back..." He swallowed, taking large gulps of air in an attempt to calm himself. "He never wanted me, never gave a damn and suddenly he's _back_ and there's so much I wanna yell at him about but I never-Team Rocket is-I-"

"_Breathe,_ Silver," Lance said firmly, gently gripping the boy's shoulders. Silver took several deep breaths until he was calm once more, then slumped against Lance's shoulder.

"Team Rocket's supposed to be gone," he mumbled. Lance nodded, pulling him closer. They were supposed to be gone, Ethan and Lyra had made sure of that, but if Petrel was still wandering about...he shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be worrying. Silver needed him.

"Yes. They are." He paused. "Silver, was Petrel alone or did he have anyone else with him? Grunts, Proton, anyone like that?"

"He was alone," Silver said. "Why?"

"Then he's lying," Lance said simply. _Please let him be lying._ "If he were serious he'd have brought others with him."

"...he _sounded_ serious."

"Well, even if he was, has anyone heard from or seen the other executives or your father recently?" Lance asked. _I haven't and I hope to Arceus no one else has._

"Well, no..." Silver's expression went dark, then turned to one of complete exasperation as he suddenly pulled back from the embrace, slapping his forehead. "So you're saying I fell for a trick like an idiot? I'm weak _and_ gullible now? I-I'm going back out, I-"

"Silver." Lance put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not weak, and you're not gullible either. You had every right to be scared."

"Of _Petrel_?"

"Team Rocket is still a sore spot for you," Lance said. "And your father doubly so. The fact that even one Rocket Executive was able to find you..." He sighed, gathering Silver in his arms again and stroking his hair. "You're not in any danger, Silver, really. But you still have the right to be afraid."

Silver sighed, hands bunching and twisting at the fabric of Lance's cape.

"It's still stupid," he muttered. "I mean, it's not like Petrel coulda done anything on his own, he couldn't even stand up to a punch in the face. But I got scared and ran into your arms like a stupid damsel anyway. I'm getting soft, aren't I."

"You?" Lance chuckled. "I don't think you're in danger of that anytime soon, Silver. You got scared, it happens."

"But I've been scared before and I never acted like _that!_" A pause. "...I dunno. I knew I had to go to someone about this, and you were the first person I thought of."

Lance grinned, running a hand through his hair.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were starting to trust me," he said, a bit teasingly. Silver groaned, face turning as red as his hair.

"Sure, rub it in." But he didn't make any move to pull away this time, in fact he seemed to be snuggling closer. "...I'm glad you were home. I mean, I know I could've gone to Ethan and Lyra, but..."

Lance smiled, nuzzling the top of Silver's head.

"I'm glad you came to me." He stroked the boy's cheek. "Even if Petrel does try to revive Team Rocket and drag you along with it, he'll have to get through me first. Silver, no matter what happens, I will protect you." Silver frowned, pulling back slightly from the embrace.

"Aw, why'd you have to get all sappy on me and ruin the moment?" But Lance could see the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

"You're welcome."


	7. Give Us More Credit

_Thinking about how similar Clair and Silver are + most fanworks having them fight a lot + Lance's knight complex = this madness. Actually Lance's knight complex is Lexi's headcanon so this is partially her fault._

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><p>To say Silver and Clair didn't get along was an understatement. Even without Clair being so attached to her cousin, her personality was too similar to Silver for anyone's comfort. Fortunately their "fights" consisted mainly of glaring and grumbling at each other, but everyone else seemed paranoid that they would escalate into more, Lance especially. He kept a sharp eye on them whenever they were together, and always expressed concern at leaving them alone with each other in case a fight happened.<p>

Naturally, neither Silver or Clair appreciated this treatment. So it stood to reason that eventually they'd bond over it...or at least get comfortable enough with each other to complain together.

"It's like he thinks he's our dad and we're his bratty kids!" Clair groaned with a roll of her eyes. "I mean, just because you're a total dickhead with a bad attitude doesn't mean I wanna rip your head off!"

"Yeah!" Silver nodded. "And just because you're a stuck-up bitch with an overblown ego doesn't mean I wanna rip _your _head off."

"Hell, it's probably even worse for you," Clair snorted. "I mean, I'm used to him treating me like a kid, but you're his _boyfriend _and he's acting like your dad. At least about this."

"...you're right." Silver frowned. "...we're not _that _bad around each other, right? Sure, you're a bully, but if you really hated me you'd be trying to break us up."

"No, even if I hated you I'm not gonna try to run Lance's love life," Clair said. "If he's into dickheads that's his own business." She sighed. "But we've gotta do something about this before Lance ends up putting us on leashes or something." She smirked. "I know! Call him _dad _next time you two are making out!"

"Ugh!" Silver shuddered, face turning a greenish shade of pale. "Don't _ever _mention that again unless you want me to puke on you!"

"Okay, sorry, it was a joke anyway," Clair said. "I'm sure _you've _got a better idea?"

"Eh, not really." Silver shrugged.

"Hmm...maybe we oughta mess with his head a little," Clair suggested. "Not too bad, but just enough to get our point across and make him stop treating us like stupid kids!" Silver grinned.

"I'm all ears."

-x-

"Grrr! I've had just about enough of you!" came Clair's shout from the kitchen. Lance groaned as he followed the sound of the fighting; he'd left them alone for only five minutes and already it was just as he'd feared.

"Yeah? Well, you _suck_!" Silver shot back. "And your outfit's the stupidest thing ever!"

"Your _hair _is stupid!" Clair yelled.

"Bitch!"

"Dickhead!"

Lance stormed into the kitchen and grabbed them both by the shoulders. They were standing on either side of a half-empty ice cream bucket looking like they wanted to strangle each other.

"Stop this! See, I knew this would happen eventually," he sighed. "And over _ice cream _of all things. Honestly, can't you two learn to be civil to one another for even five minutes?"

"It's his fault! He picked out all the nuts!" Clair snapped.

"_She _picked out all the pieces of chocolate!" Silver growled. Each dug their spoon into the bucket and filled it, and Lance blanched.

"Oh, please don't tell me-"

"You bet we would." Clair winked at Silver, and he grinned. "Fire at will!"

Before Lance could protest, he was hit in the face with two spoonfuls of melting ice cream.

"What?" Clair and Silver both burst into laughter, and he quickly realized he'd just been tricked. "Oh, for the love of..." He shook his head. "I guess there's a lesson for me in all this."

"Yeah, don't treat us like rabid kids," Clair said. "Or we'll throw ice cream at you."

"The ice cream was her idea, by the way," Silver added.

"Do you get it now, though?" Clair asked. "Your boyfriend's one of the most annoying people I've ever met, but I've done my best to put up with him for your sake! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"And your cousin's got a major ego problem, but she's your family. And apparently that's important," Silver said. "Just cause we hate each other doesn't mean you've gotta freak out that we're gonna kill each other."

Lance sighed, wiping the ice cream from his face with a towel.

"I guess I have been overreacting lately, haven't I. It's just...you're so alike and anytime I see you growling and glaring at each other it worries me. You've both got some nasty tempers on you," he said.

"And _you're_ the reason we try so hard not to let them flare up," Clair said. "We're doing it for _you_, Lance. Can't you at least try to appreciate it?" She pouted a bit, and he immediately felt guilty. Silver nodded, trying to look as pissed off as possible. Lance chuckled, ruffling Silver's hair and patting Clair's shoulder.

"I know when I'm beaten," he said. "I'll...try to relax a little more from now on, okay?"

"Good." Clair smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't like being mad at my favorite cousin."

"I'm your _only _cousin," Lance reminded her. "Silver, I know you don't forgive as easily, but maybe just this once?"

Silver smiled and punched him lightly on the arm.

"Just this once. But don't ever do it again."

From then on, Lance was able to relax just a bit more. Silver and Clair did have the occasional argument or fight, and he did intervene, but for the most part he knew they were trying and that was good enough.


	8. Bedroom Banter

There be implied sexytimes in this chapter, yes.

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><p>Someone like Silver could either be awkard in all walks of life but sex, or in all walks of life<em> including<em> sex. Silver started out as the second and had ended up as the first.

"Heh." Lance grinned, pulling his lover's naked, sweat-soaked body closer to him. "You better be glad the Pokemon are playing outside tonight. I don't think I remember you ever being _this_ loud."

"Oh, shut up," Silver muttered. "It's your fault. Always gotta go for the neck, don't you?" Lance snickered, brushing his hair out of the way and pressing a kiss to the exposed skin. "H-hey!" A moan escaped. "C-cut that out, we just finished! Boy, you just can't keep your stupid hands off me."

"You love my stupid hands." Lance ruffled his hair, drawing him close for a deep kiss. Of course Silver returned it eagerly, he always did. He pulled back and the younger trainer was glaring at him, a blush staining his cheeks.

"I can't believe I let you do this to me." A token complaint; Lance knew very well how Silver felt about him and that he didn't mind it one bit. "You drive me crazy, you know that?"

"The feeling's mutual," Lance chuckled, kissing him again. "I love you, Silver." Silver rolled his eyes, snuggling closer.

"You're such a sap." But the look in his eyes said everything Lance needed to know in return.

"Are you sore? You want a hot bath or something?" he asked. Silver snorted.

"You always ask that! Why do you always ask that, we've done this a dozen times!" he said. "I'm pretty _used_ to it by now."

"Still," Lance laughed. "Even if you're not sore we're both pretty sticky and sweaty, you know?"

"I'll take a shower tomorrow morning," Silver grumbled. "Can we just sleep now? Please?"

Lance nodded, pulling the covers over the two of them.

"All right." He kissed Silver's forehead. "Goodnight."

"Mm." Silver closed his eyes and was out like a light in seconds. Lance smiled, toying with a few strands of his hair. Having someone like Silver for a lover was trying at times, but he'd never backed down from a challenge.


	9. Sexual Tension

There were many things about Lance that Silver found annoying. His arrogance, his stupid hair, his overbearing concern for Silver's well-being and overall knight complex, his capes, the fact that Silver would probably never beat him in a battle.

But the thing he hated, really hated, were the feelings he seemed to get lately whenever Lance was close.

It all started with a simple comment, one that Lance had made several times before. _You're so cute, Silver._ It made Silver's blood boil every time, he _hated_ "cute" and he certainly didn't want to be thought of as such. But this time he'd said it in such a way that made Silver, to his utter horror, _blush._

Schoolgirls blushed. Silly boys like Ethan blushed. Silver didn't blush, it wasn't him and it never would be. Especially because of something Lance said.

It snowballed from there. Every look, every accidental brush of their hands or bodies, every touch of Lance's hand to his shoulder, every time Lance so much as said his name seemed to turn him into a flustered _mess_ of flailing and hormones. The last part was worse than everything else combined, Silver decided. It was bad enough when Lance made him blush, but making him feel all twisty and squishy and melty and _stupid_ inside was just not okay.

Every day he swore he'd put a stop to it, that the next time Lance touched him or smiled at him in certain ways would be the last. But it never was. Every damn time Silver would be swayed by the Dragon master's stupid charms and every day he hated himself a little more.

_Stupid Lance. Stupid sexy Lance!_ Wait, sexy? _Argh! Okay, that does it, I've had about all I can take!_ He wasn't going to let Lance do this to him anymore. In fact, he was moving out first thing tomorrow...or even tonight. The trouble had all started when he moved in as Lance's ward, anyway. Once he broke out of the arrangement the problem would be over.

"Hey." He found Lance in the kitchen, scrubbing dishes. "I need to talk to you _now._"

"Oh?" Lance stopped what he was doing and turned to face him. "What's on your mind?"

"You've been overstepping your bounds lately, you jerk," he snapped. "Just because I'm your ward doesn't mean you get to touch me and stare at me the way you have?"

"Really." Lance smirked. "And what way might that be, Silver?" He moved closer and Silver's heart skipped a beat. _No, not this time._

"_That_ way," he snapped. "And since you can't seem to control yourself I'm gonna do us both a favor and move out tonight." Lance's expression didn't change, much to Silver's chagrin.

"You're sure about that?"

"Yeah. In fact, I'm gonna go start packing right now." Still no change. "What, aren't you gonna stop me?"

"Do you want me to?" Lance moved closer still, placing a hand on Silver's shoulder and _it_ started again. That stupid twisty, squishy, melty feeling. _Damn it!_

"...no." _Liar_, the voice in his head taunted. Lance grinned, wrapping his other arm around Silver's waist and drawing him close; Silver's heart pounded and he wanted to scream and shove Lance away but his stupid body wouldn't let him. _Damn it!_

"You're not fooling me, Silver," Lance whispered. "I've seen the way you stare after me. The way you blush whenever I get this close." Silver gave a cry of frustration and tried to wriggle free.

"S-stop that! You're being creepy! I don't have any feelings for you whatsoever!" But Lance's arm was strong and Silver didn't feel much like struggling, _damn it damn it **damn it**!_ "L-let me go..."

"Is that what you want?" And Silver snapped; grabbing Lance's shoulders he pushed him up against the wall.

"I hate you for making me feel this way!" he growled. "You always look at me and touch me and it makes me feel all squishy inside and I hate it hate it _hate it!_"

Lance chuckled, pulling Silver against him and looking into his eyes.

"Could've fooled me," he whispered. Their lips were dangerously close together and Silver felt paralyzed. _Get away, get away before it's too late_, he thought, but his body and now his stupid heart wouldn't listen and suddenly Lance was kissing him and it was all over.

_Stupid sexy Lance!_

"Now," Lance whispered as he broke away from the kiss, "what was that you said about moving out?" With a growl, Silver punched Lance in the shoulder.

"_Jerk_." But his heart felt warm and he leaned against Lance, nestling his head against his shoulder. "I hate the way you make me feel." Lance only chuckled and held him closer, and Silver sighed.

He was doomed, and he loved every minute of it.

_Stupid sexy Lance._


	10. Wait For You To Breathe Again

_Some stuff in this is from Lexi's headcanon~ Also Clair wasn't originally going to be in this but she found a way. And I'm glad. :D_

* * *

><p>It was bad enough when Lance was just overprotective, but Silver could live with that; even though he hated it he was more or less used to it and had accepted that it wasn't going to change anytime soon.<p>

But ever since he'd found out about the incident with Team Rocket and Clair, a certain fear would nag at the back of his mind. _He'd get himself killed for anyone he loved._

Ruffians were just ruffians, Silver could have more than handled them on his own. But of course, stupid Lance and his stupid knight complex had to come charging in. The men had knives, and by the time the fight was over Lance was bleeding and unconcious at their feet.

Silver had completely destroyed those bastards, of course. Beaten them within an inch of their lives with the help of his Pokemon. But of course the anger had to wear off sometime...or rather, Lyra and Ethan and Clair had to calm him.

He'd gone numb after that. No anger, no sadness, no denial. Just numb as they called the police to pick up the ruffians, then an ambulance to get Lance to the hospital. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, he barely noticed as Ethan and Lyra tried to comfort him, or Clair called him _idiot _to try to snap him out of it.

Now he sat in Lance's hospital room (Clair had none-too-gently explained that as Lance's boyfriend Silver _was_ family and if the doctor didn't let him in she would _make him_), and it was finally sinking in.

_He almost died trying to protect me. They could have killed him. Even now they're not sure when or if he'll ever wake up. _Tears blurred his vision and he closed his eyes, taking Lance's hand in his own.

"Please wake up," he whispered. "Damn it, y-you said you'd be here for me, no matter what. I know death happens, but if you died because you just had to be stupid and protect me..." Angry sobs wrenched themselves from him, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Lance, please..." He sniffled. "I-I'm not leaving your side or getting any sleep until _you _wake up, got that?"

Hours passed, and his eyes grew heavy with exhaustion. Clair came in and put a hand on his shoulder. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were puffy, and she looked pretty tired as well.

"Listen, you," she said. "Why don't you just go to sleep already? We're already staying the night so at least the doctor will wake us if anything changes."

"No." Silver sniffled. "Not until he opens his eyes."

"Idiot. You think staying up until you pass out is going to make him better any faster?" she scolded. Silver glared at her.

"I'm not sleeping until he wakes up. You of all people should understand," he snapped.

"Of course I do!" she snapped. "And he wouldn't want you risking your health because of him. Just...go to sleep, idiot."

"No. My mind's made up," Silver said firmly. "Go back to the waiting room with Ethan and Lyra, okay? I'll let you know when he wakes up."

"...fine." He knew she was only giving in out of exhaustion. "...try not to make yourself sick, okay? He'd hate that." She gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder, then headed back out. Once she was gone, Silver sighed, squeezing Lance's hand a little more tightly.

"Damn it...! It's not just me! Don't you realize what you're doing to Clair? She had to see you nearly get killed all over again! S-she's never gonna forgive me if you..."

Suddenly he felt Lance's fingers squeeze his, and moments later the Dragon Master opened his eyes.

"...Silver?"

Relief flooded him, followed by intense anger.

"You _idiot!_" he screamed. "I never needed you to protect me from them in the first place, and you just charged right in there like a fucking knight in shining armor! Do you realize what you've just put us through? What you've put _me_ through? You could've fucking _died_ because of your _stupid knight complex!_"

"Silver!" Lance squeezed his hand more tightly to try to calm him. "Silver, I-"

"You almost _died._" More sobs broke through and he felt Lance let go of his hand, reaching up to touch his cheek gently. That touch felt better than anything had all day. _You fucking idiot, I love you so much._

"I didn't want to see you hurt for anything," Lance whispered. "I'd do it again."

"Do it and I'll never forgive you, _ever_," Silver said. "You think you can get under my skin and make me feel all sorts of crazy things for you and then just ditch me like that?" He laughed in spite of himself. "You stupid jerk."

Lance smiled weakly.

"I'm glad I mean that much to you," he said, stroking his cheek. Silver leaned into the contact, moving his chair a little closer to the bed.

"If you die on me, when I finally get to the afterlife and see you again I'm gonna beat you up," he said. Lance chuckled, reaching up to ruffle Silver's hair a little.

"I wouldn't be so overprotective if you weren't so reckless, you know."

"Hey, this time it wasn't my fault! They came at us out of nowhere," Silver reminded him. "And just so you know, I did knock them all out with only a little help from the Pokemon. So you didn't need to protect me after all."

"Heh." Lance grinned. "Maybe I should try to back off a little with that," he said.

"Yeah, you should." Silver smiled a little. "...I'm glad you're okay, Lance." Then he remembered what he'd sort of promised Clair. "I'd better go let the others know you're okay." He started to stand up, but felt a pull on his wrist. "Huh?"

"I'll call the nurse and have her let them know," he said. "You get some rest."

"But-"

"You're exhausted, Silver. You look like you were up half the night," Lance said. "Go to sleep." Silver opened his mouth to protest, but to his chagrin he realized he _was _about to pass out.

"Fine," he muttered.

"I'll ask the nurse to bring in a blanket for you," he said. Silver nodded, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. The last thing he felt before dozing off was Lance's hand squeezing his again, and he knew everything was going to be all right.


	11. Stupid Capes

So originally this was gonna be a cute romantic piece with Lance giving Silver one of his old capes as a love-gift, then it turned into Silver tsun-ing at Lance and Lance teasing him. Oh, well. XD

* * *

><p>Lance didn't just like capes, he had an entire closet reserved for them. It was as if he had a cape shop in his own house; so many colors and styles and fabrics. Silver had never imagined anyone could be this obsessed with an article of clothing, it was weird and stupid and added to the list of things he found so irritating about Lance. As if his showoffy knight complex wasn't bad enough, he had to dress the part too?<p>

Except in a way Silver didn't mind that much. It was stupid, but he couldn't exactly imagine Lance _without_ those capes. Dare he think it, they almost looked...attractive.

But they were still stupid, of course. Stupid capes. Stupid Lance looking so good in them.

"Silver?" Lance's voice jolted him from his thoughts.

"What?"

"You were staring at me," Lance said. "I didn't know my dusting the bookshelves was so fascinating." Silver coughed, blushed slightly and looked away.

"It's not. I was looking at...your cape," he muttered. "Capes are pretty stupid to do housework in." Lance chuckled, turning around to pat him on the head.

"Since when were you the fashion police?" Silver growled slightly, smacking Lance's hand away. He hated when Lance did that, or ruffled his hair or did _anything_ else like that, treating Silver like he was _cute._

"It's just stupid. You're obsessed with those things," he grumbled.

"Why not? They're stylish, they look good on me, I can get them in bulk for good prices at the Celadon Department Store..." Lance grinned. "I can afford to get one a little dusty while working."

"I didn't say anything about dusty, I said it was stupid."

"Really." Lance smirked, studying him for a moment, then removed his cape and draped it over Silver's shoulders.

"H-hey, what gives?"

"Why don't you keep it warm for me while I finish here?" Lance smiled, ruffling his hair again. "Heh, it actually looks good on you," he said. "A little big, of course, but that's kinda cute." Silver made an angry face at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you I hate that?"

"You're cute, Silver." Lance leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Deal with it."

"I am _not!_" But Lance was already headed to the kitchen and Silver groaned in frustration. Why did Lance always do this to him? _The way you keep making me feel..._

After a quick glance to make sure he was completely alone, he pulled the cape a little more tightly around himself. It felt so warm and soft and comforting, just like Lance's arm around him made him feel...with a sigh, he lifted the fabric and buried his face in it, sniffing a little.

_It smells like him._

But he definitely wasn't falling for Lance. Or his stupid capes.


	12. Another Late Night

The kettle whistled and Silver poured the steaming hot water into the mug, letting the tea bag sit there. Seven minutes usually seemed to do the trick, he'd figured out after a while; not too weak, not too strong.

The kitchen timer rang, he removed the teabag and placed the cup on a saucer to keep it from burning his hand as he carried it into the study. In addition to being a sap with a knight complex, Lance could also be a bit of a workaholic sometimes and tonight was one of those nights he'd been in the study since after dinner.

Silver knocked on the door, but no one answered. Lance couldn't be _that_ immersed in his work, could he? Another knock, still no answer.

"Lance?" He nudged the door open, walked in...and found his lover fast asleep at the desk, leaning back in his chair with a book in his lap. Silver shook his head, placed the mug on the desk, and walked up beside Lance.

"What am I gonna do with you? You get on me about taking care of myself and then you do stuff like this?" An exaggeration, mostly; he knew Lance wasn't doing that much harm to himself. But if the roles had been switched here Lance would be lecturing him. _Hypocrite,_ Silver thought fondly. "It's eleven, you know."

Still no answer. Silver sighed. Lance always told him how cute he was and he _hated_ it, but Silver himself couldn't deny that _Lance_ looked sort of cute when he was asleep. With a quiet chuckle, he leaned in and kissed Lance lightly on the lips.

"Mmm..." That seemed to do it; the dragon tamer's eyes opened a bit and he smiled up at Silver. "What a nice way to wake up. Evening, Silver."

"_Evening_ nothing, it's five after eleven already," Silver said. "Anyway, I brought you some tea."

"How thoughtful of you," Lance said. "You really are sweet sometimes." Silver blushed furiously; _sweet_ was almost as bad a word as _cute._

"Yeah, well...you like it and it's late and I was already in the kitchen getting a glass of water, so I figured why not?" Lance just grinned, picking up the mug and sipping; when he set it down he nodded approvingly.

"You're getting better at this," he said. "It's perfect this time." And there came that silly fluttery schoolgirl feeling in his heart; _it shouldn't matter that he likes my cooking!_

"Well...good." He idly toyed with a few strands of Lance's hair. "So how much longer are you gonna be up? Not that I'm lonely or anything." Lance's hand reached up and caught his own, twining their fingers together.

"Half an hour, I guess," he said. "Unless you want to wait here until I finish?"

"...if I do it's not because I'm lonely and can't sleep without you," Silver said gruffly. "I just wanna keep an eye on you and make sure you don't fall asleep in your chair again." Lance chuckled, wrapping his free arm around Silver's waist and leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"If you say so."

In the end it was Silver who ended up dozing off, his head on Lance's shoulder. In the morning he would realize he'd been carried to bed and complain about it, but a small part of him almost didn't mind.

Almost.


	13. Ice Cream

"Clair, Karen's here!" Lance called. His cousin hurried down the stairs, gave herself one last nervous check in the mirror and ran for the front door. It was almost cute; his stubborn, egotistical cousin suddenly acting like a nervous schoolgirl.

"I'll see you later. Try not to wait up," she said. From the doorway, Karen chuckled a little.

"Don't worry, Lance, I'll have her home at a reasonable hour," she said, Lance's protective nature was legendary among the Elite Four. Clair made a face at him, then the two women headed out the door. Lance sighed; it felt strange to actually be alone for once. Ethan and Lyra were on a date of their own while Silver was off training somewhere.

"I may as well try to get some work done," he said, and headed into his study. He sat down at his desk and opened a book; however, he didn't get any further than a few pages before he heard footsteps. "Silver?"

"Hey." His lover walked into the room. "Training went pretty well! I think Haunter and Kadabra might almost be ready to evolve. Not that they _have_ to, but it'd be nice if they did."

"Glad to hear it," Lance said. He turned to face Silver and suddenly his breath caught in his throat. Silver's hair was a bit unkempt and his clothes were mussed in an attractive fashion, a few of the buttons on his shirt undone to reveal glimpses of pale flesh. _Damn! Just looking at him shouldn't turn me on this way!_

"I just came in to get a snack for myself before I feed the Pokemon," Silver said, and that was when Lance took special notice of just what Silver was eating.

_What's wrong with me?_

An ice cream sandwich should not have been making his pants feel so tight.

"I see."

"Yeah." Silver broke off two pieces of wafer and popped them into his mouth, chewing slowly.

"Kinda funny you went for that," Lance said, trying to distract himself. "Considering you're not that big on sweets."

"I know, but I just felt like ice cream for some reason." His tongue darted out to lick along the exposed ice cream and Lance forced himself to turn back to his book. _How does he always do this to me? Calm down, Lance, just talk to him normally._

"Maybe because it's hot out tonight," he said.

"Maybe." A slight slurping noise followed by an "mmm" and Lance cursed himself as he turned around _again_. The ice cream was melting a bit, dripping down Silver's hand and Silver was slowly licking it up, taking another bite of the sandwich. _Stay cool, Lance, stay cool._

"Well, I should get back to my reading," he said. But he made no move to turn around and Silver's consumption of the ice cream was getting more and more suggestive, _damn it!_ And then Silver was crossing the room and grinning, holding out the treat.

"Want a bite?" And Lance grinned.

_Payback time._

"Sure." He took that bite, making sure the ice cream smeared over his lips and fingers as he did. This time it was Silver's turn to stare intently as Lance ate, licking and sucking the melted ice cream from his fingers.

"D-damn it, Lance..."

"Turnabout is fair play," Lance whispered, popping the last bite of the sandwich into Silver's mouth. When he was done, Silver _pounced_, dragging Lance to the couch and pinning him down.

"I've always thought so," he said, and kissed him.

Lance didn't get any work done that evening. He didn't care.

* * *

><p>Yes, ClairKaren. XD Simply because they look hot together and Karen might be a good influence on her.


	14. Talk To Me

Getting Silver to open up about his feelings was like squeezing blood from a turnip. Even now, even after he'd come to realize his birth parents weren't worth it and come to accept his friends as his true family, he remained somewhat distant and stubborn.

Lance knew and understood that it wasn't any flaw of theirs, that Silver could just be difficult about these things and that the best thing to do was to be patient. He knew the way Giovanni and Ariana had treated him would never completely go away, even as he healed there would still be scars. All he and the others could do was offer their unconditional love and support and hope he'd take it.

But Lance still worried.

Today, Silver had woken up cranky and listless, barely saying a word to anyone all through breakfast and then immediately taking to the room that had once been his before he'd moved into Lance's. An hour later he'd poked his head into the den and announced he was going out.

It was near evening now, and Silver still hadn't come back. Ethan and Lyra were naturally beside themselves with worry and even as Clair grumbled about what an idiot he was it was clear she, too, was worried. As for Lance, he'd tried to distract himself with his work but his thoughts always returned to Silver, so frustrated and alone and depressed and hurting as he was.

Finally unable to take it anymore, he shoved his work aside, headed into the den and told the others where he was going. He had a good idea of where Silver might be right now. It was a place Silver had often promised he'd never revisit, but always did whenever he was especially upset.

-x-

Upon arriving at Tohjo Falls, he landed and recalled Dragonite. Silver, fortunately, was nowhere near the cliff's edge or the falls; huddled in a corner, he didn't even have his Pokemon out with him. This was not a good sign.

Sighing, Lance slowly approached him and sat down.

"Silver." The younger trainer's head snapped up; his face was angry but his eyes looked lost and sad.

"Didn't I tell you I'd come back when I was ready?"

"You're coming back now," Lance said firmly. "It's too cold to stay here all day, you'll get sick."

"I said no." Silver tried to inch further away, but Lance wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. "H-hey, let me go!" Silver protested.

"What's going on, Silver? You've been upset since this morning," Lance said. "Please...you know we're always here to listen to you. Why don't you talk to us?"

"I don't _want to_," Silver snapped. "It's stupid, anyway, just a bunch of stupid shit I shouldn't even be upset about anymore." Lance frowned.

"It's about _them_, isn't it." Silver gave him an angry look and turned away.

"Just drop it."

"No." Lance's hold on him tightened. He knew it wasn't right to force Silver to confide in him, but keeping things bottled up usually did him more harm than good. "Talk to me, Silver."

"There's nothing to talk about! Just...go back, Clair's gonna throw a bitch fit if she finds out you're at the falls too," Silver said.

"She knows, Silver. She let me go and said she'd kick my ass if I didn't bring you back safe and sound." Lance chuckled a little in spite of himself. "She cares more than you think she does." Silver snorted.

"Good for her. But I'm still not going back yet." Lance's expression grew serious once more.

"Then I won't, either. I'm staying here until you talk to me."

"We'll be here all night, then." Silver shrugged. Lance roughly placed a hand on the back of Silver's head, forcing him to turn and face him.

"I'm not playing around," he said. "I'll wait here all night if I have to, Vincent." And Silver stiffened, his eyes widening. _Vincent_, his given name, the name he'd discarded along with his former self when he'd left home all those years ago. Even as he'd forced himself to come to terms with his past, Vincent Vittorio was for all intents and purposes dead.

Lance was the only one to ever use his real name, and only when he was dead serious about something.

"...I-I told you never to call me that!" Silver yelled, but his facade was cracking and Lance knew collapse was iminent. He drew Silver closer, cradling the younger trainer against him and rubbing his back.

"Please," he whispered. "I hate seeing you like this. I love you so much, all I want to do is help you."

"You're such a fucking sap," Silver muttered, his voice breaking. "Just because I had a dream about them last night and woke up thinking about them doesn't mean..." He trailed off as the tears he'd been holding back probably since that morning began to fall. Lance tightened his hold, rubbing his back more firmly.

"Silver," he whispered. "I'm here. I'm here..."

"It shouldn't even hurt. I hate them so much, I knew they never gave a damn!" Silver sobbed angrily against his shoulder.

"They were supposed to." Lance ran a soothing hand through his hair. "They were your parents. They should have cared."

"I hate them," Silver repeated, fingers clutching the fabric of Lance's cape. "I hate them..."

"I know."

Eventually, Silver's tears stopped and he looked up at Lance, his eyes puffy and his face red. Lance reached out to gently brush away the last of his tears, which of course Silver rolled his eyes at.

"Are you okay now?" Lance asked. Silver nodded a little.

"I guess so," he said. "...thanks. You know, for coming out here. I guess maybe I did need it...it's still hard for me to talk about these things, you know? I hate dealing with my own weaknesses."

"I know," Lance said. "But try to remember that none of us think of you as weak, Silver. We care about you, and we want you to be comfortable."

"I am. At least, more than I used to be," Silver said. Lance smiled, gently brushing a lock of Silver's hair behind his ear.

"I love you," he said. Silver nodded.

"I know." Even now Silver had trouble saying it back, but Lance knew he did.

"Let's go home." He helped Silver up and led him to Dragonite, getting on first before pulling Silver along with him. He was surprised when Silver settled into his arms, nestling closely. "Silver?"

"Don't think too much of it! I'm just cold and tired, okay?" Lance chuckled; even now he still insisted on maintaining his tough image, and Lance had come to find it more cute than anything.

"Whatever you say." He wrapped his arms securely around Silver, kissing the top of his head as Dragonite set off for home.

* * *

><p>Vincent Vittorio is the "real name" I came up with for Silver in my headcanon. Has a nice ring to it, I think...Vittorio I actually picked up from a kink meme fill, I thought it fit. :) Only Lance ever calls Silver "Vincent" and only in Serious Business mode.<p>

And Tohjo Falls somehow became Silver's personal Corner Of Woe. idk. XD


	15. Fathers and Daughters

_Speculative future dealie. :3 Inspired by a convo with Lexi, I just had to write this. Also this was originally supposed to be parenting business and Raine being like her dad, but ended up hinting at Lance/Silver sexytimes. LOL SELF._

* * *

><p>"I hate school, I hate my teachers and all the other kids are so stupid!"<p>

Silver's head snapped up from his book as a red-haired teenager stormed in through the front door, kicking her shoes off and dropping her bookbag beside them.

"What happened this time, Raine?" he asked.

"_Nothing, _everyone's just stupid," Raine muttered. Silver sighed, shaking his head; even though Raine was adopted she still managed to take after him. Even her insults and complaints were the same as Silver's when he was thirteen.

"Er...you wanna talk about it or something?" he asked.

"No, leave me alone. I'm going up to my room to play with Quilava and Dratini." Raine stomped up the stairs before Silver could even call after her; he heard the door slam and buried his face in his hands.

"Damn it!" He sighed again. "_Laaaance! _The girl's having another one of her stupid mood swings!" Almost immediately his spouse walked into the room, looking amused.

"That's pretty childish for a man who just turned thirty," he teased.

"Well, she's driving me crazy!" Silver whined. "She came home bitching about everyone being stupid and now she's locked herself in her room! She does this at least twice a week and I'm sick of it!"

"Did you try talking to her?" Lance asked, sitting down on the couch beside him.

"She didn't want to," Silver said. "She's playing with her Pokemon and she'll probably sic them on me if I try to come in."

"Well, try anyway," Lance said. "You're her father, it's your job to keep the lines of communication open."

"Why can't _you _do it? You're her father, too!"

"Silver, _talk to her. _You can't foist her off on me every time you can't handle something," Lance said sternly.

"But what if she's having her...you know what?" Silver asked. Even as an adult he was still uncomfortable even _thinking _about womens' monthlies. Lance shrugged.

"She's a girl, Silver. Girls do that. You ought to know, having lived in this house with Clair and Lyra as long as you did," he said.

"I wish they hadn't left. I wouldn't mind letting Lyra deal with this," Silver muttered.

"Now, Silver, are you really so cruel that you'd let a pregnant woman deal with an angry Raine?" Lance chided.

"Then let's send her over to Clair and Karen," Silver said.

"They're not back from their trip to Hoenn yet," Lance reminded him. "Silver, you're going to have to deal with this. Being a parent means dealing with everything about your kids, even the unpleasant things." Silver sighed, burying his face in his hands again.

"Why did I let you talk me into this again? What made us think it was a good idea to have a kid?" Lance chuckled, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close.

"Because you're a softie and couldn't turn her away," he said.

"Well, I wish I had. What was I thinking, I don't know shit about being a good father," Silver said quietly. "I mean, we both know how badly my own dad messed up...he could never be bothered to talk to me about anything. I don't know _how _to talk to Raine about anything. Let's face it, I'm just-"

"No." Lance pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. "Don't even go there, Silver. You're a better man that he was, you always have been and always will be."

"Then why do I freak out every time she gets like this? I just...can't deal with it. She gets so upset and angry and I just want her to be happy, fathers are supposed to make it all better for their kids, right?"

"And that's why you're better than he is," Lance said, holding him closer. "The fact that her misery frustrates you, and that you _want _to be a good father. And Raine knows you love her, Silver. Who was it that insisted we fly her to the hospital when she was ten and had that horrible stomachache?"

"Yeah, and it turned out her appendix needed to be taken out," Silver remembered. _Daddy, you saved my life! You're such a hero!_ "I guess I've done _some _things right." Lance smiled, bringing Silver's hand to his lips and kissing each of his fingers.

"No parent is perfect, but you've done the best you can so far," he said. "And that's all anyone can ever ask of you. Raine adores you even if she has trouble showing it sometimes." He smirked. "Like someone I know." Silver snorted.

"Wonder who that could be."

"Someone strong." A kiss to his forehead. "Someone who overcame so much and grew into a better person for it." A kiss to each of his cheeks. "Someone who means the world to me, and more." Lance finished his thought with a brief kiss to his lips, and even as Silver felt a warm glow spread through him he rolled his eyes.

"I swear, you get sappier every day," he scoffed. "But who am I kidding, you wouldn't be you without it." Lance chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"I love you too." Their lips met again, in a deeper and more urgent kiss. Silver slid his arms around Lance, pulling him down onto the couch; even now it didn't take much for either to turn the other on. Hands roamed over each other's bodies, sliding underneath clothes...Lance's lips left Silver's to move to his neck, Silver shuddered with anticipation-

"Ewww! Can't you two wait till it's dark?" Both heads snapped up to find Raine standing at the bottom of the steps, Dratini coiled halfway around her neck in a playful manner. Silver sighed, reminded of the _other _reason being a dad was so tough.

"I thought you were gonna hole up in your room," he said.

"I just came down to get a snack," Raine said. "Dad, sorry I was such a jerk earlier. Maybe we can talk about it later, okay? Right now I just wanna hang out with my Pokemon." Silver smiled with relief.

"Sure. Just let me know when you're ready," he said. "And don't worry about it."

"Thanks." Raine went into the kitchen, then came out a moment later with an arm full of snacks. "See ya." Lance smiled, patting Silver's cheek softly.

"See? I told you," he said. Silver smiled and rolled his eyes.

"We got lucky this time." His smile became a smirk. "Now...why don't we head to the study and pick up where we left off? It'll probably be a few hours before she's ready to talk." Lance grinned.

"Sounds like a plan." And Silver grabbed his hand, practically dragging him to the study.


	16. Storms

Silver had always considered himself a brave, tough person.

He'd traveled alone for four years, he'd slept outside in _hail_ with only a sleeping bag to protect him. He'd faced tough trainers, angry Pokemon...hell, he'd _grown up_ with guy who cut off Slowpoke tails for food and profit. There was pretty much nothing he was actually afraid of by this point.

A stupid thunderstorm should _not_ have been bothering him so much.

Silver sighed, pulling his pillow over his head and trying to block out the noise. That had to be what was bothering him, the noise. Who _didn't_ hate noise when they were trying to get a good night's sleep?

The thunder rumbled again and Silver shuddered, not liking the uncomfortable feeling spreading throughout his chest. _I'm not scared!_ he stubbornly reminded himself, but the thunder_ crashed_ and lightning split the sky and a cry escaped his throat. _Pathetic, pathetic!_ he berated himself. But he couldn't sleep and the irrational, _stupid_ fear was intensifying.

"Pathetic." He didn't even know why he felt this way. From an early age he'd learned that storms were nothing to be afraid of but not for the reasons most parents told their kids. Instead he'd been taught that fear was a weakness, especially fear of something as unpredictable as nature.

_Crack_ went the thunder again and Silver drove his fist into his pillow, fighting back tears of frustration. A thought crossed his mind and took root too fast for him to banish it. _Damn it!_ He refused to sink to such a level but the stupid scared little loser in him wouldn't shut up.

Sighing, he climed out of bed and stumbled down the hallway, hating himself every step of the way. He knocked on the door and Lance answered almost immediately, looking down at him in surprise.

"Silver."

"Hey." He expected amusement, but Lance just looked concerned as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling well?" he asked.

"...well..." _Bite the bullet, Silver._ "Look, before you get any ideas, _I'm not scared._ It's just...the storm's so loud and annoying and I can't sleep. And since I don't wanna wake up my Pokemon I kinda had to go to you." If Lance was insulted, he sure hid it well.

"I see." _Now_ he looked amused and Silver had never wanted to hit someone more than he did right now. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I dunno. Stay up and talk to me? Play cards or something?" He rubbed the back of his head, feeling stupid and embarrassed and wishing the floor would open and just swallow him up. "Look, you don't have to...I'm just being a stupid kid, storms don't usually..." _Argh, what are you doing?_ "I don't know, tonight's just..." Pointless tears pricked at his eyes and he buried his face in his hands, willing himself not to cry. Tears were useless, his father said, tears were for the weak. _You don't want to be weak, do you, Vincent?_

"N-never mind," he muttered. He would _not_ cry, especially in front of Lance. He felt the hand leave his shoulder only for warm arms to embrace him, that hand moving to stroke his hair. "W-what.."

"It's okay, Silver," Lance whispered. "You're more than welcome to stay with me tonight." To his relief only a few tears escaped, which Lance thankfully didn't seem to notice.

"Thank you," he said, a bit more eagerly than he'd intended. "I mean...good. But I don't want to go to sleep!"

"We'll play cards, then." Lance seemed more than okay with having his own sleep interrupted, and Silver almost felt guilty. Just a little.

They stayed up for the next hour playing cards, and every time the thunder would rumble or lightning would flash Lance would smile reassuringly at Silver or squeeze his hand. Eventually, though, the need for sleep outweighed his irrational fear of the storm. He was dimly aware of Lance putting the cards aside and pulling the covers over him.

"Goodnight, Silver," Lance whispered, and the last thing he felt was that gentle hand stroking his face before sleep claimed him.


	17. Nice Of You to Drop In

_Aosuka/Asmie helped a bit with this chapter. :3_

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><p>It was a quiet, beautiful day and Lance was relaxing contentedly under a tree, his Pokemon playing safely nearby. They'd earned this free time after a good, long training session, but rather than being exhausted he simply felt accomplished. Peaceful. Like he could have fallen asleep right then and there.<p>

But just as he was about to, the branches above him rustled, someone swore and before he could react he found himself with a lap full of grumpy redhead.

"Doing a little sightseeing, Silver?" he teased. By now he'd come to expect to run into the boy pretty much everywhere, the habit of Silver's that had unnerved him a bit at first was now almost amusing. Silver tried to be menacing, but Lance knew he was as threatening as a wet Pidgey.

"Hmph." Silver gave him a dirty look. "You've got some nerve sitting under _my tree_."

"_Your_ tree." Lance had to force himself not to laugh at that. "Since when?"

"Since...since I said so!"

"Right." Lance chuckled, reaching up to pick a few leaves from Silver's hair. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you climbed this tree the moment you noticed I was thinking of lying down under it." Silver blushed angrily.

"W-what's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you seem to turn up everywhere I am lately," Lance said. "As if you were following me around." Silver's blush deepened.

"A-are you calling me a stalker?" He gave Lance the dirtiest look possible. "Just because I've been waiting to battle you again doesn't mean I follow you around watching you train, know where you live and what times you shower or bathe-" He immediately shut up; by now his face was almost as red as his hair and he looked angry enough to hit someone. Lance just shook his head.

"Right."

"I mean it! I have no interest in you whatsoever outside of beating you once and for all!" Silver growled, but he made absolutely no move to get up from Lance's lap. In fact, Lance could have sworn the boy was snuggling up to him.

"Of course, Silver." Lance couldn't help but smile warmly, Silver could be really adorable sometimes. Sighing, he wrapped his arms around the younger trainer and pulled him closer. Silver tensed slightly in his embrace, then relaxed just as quickly.

"D-don't get any ideas," he muttered. "I just...don't feel like getting up right now." But there was a ghost of a smile on that angry face as Silver leaned his head against Lance's chest and closed his eyes. Lance smiled down warmly at him, gently pushing a lock of hair behind his ear.

"As far as stalkers go, you're a pretty cute one."


	18. What If

Sometimes he wonders what his life might have been.

What if he'd known his mother? Silver always wonders what she was like, Dad said she'd died when he wasn't even a year old. He's never even seen a picture of her, keeping them must have been too painful for Dad.

What if Team Rocket hadn't been brought down by that kid? Dad wouldn't have left, and Silver would still be in Viridian City, being groomed as his heir. He loathes the very idea, but he still can't help thinking about it.

Or what if Dad had stayed even after the loss of Team Rocket? He'd be the son of the Viridian Gym Leader, a much more satisfactory title. Gym Leaders were strong, after all.

He discarded his given name for that of a precious metal. What if he'd stayed Vincent Vittorio, or even just Vincent?

If he'd never met Ethan and Lyra, never run into Lance...what sort of person might he have turned out to be? Would he have ever learned that important lesson? Would he have become just as bad or even worse than Dad?

The possibilities swim through his mind, different pictures of all the different pasts and futures keep him up at night. A different Silver, the same old Vincent. Heir of a weak and pathetic organization or the son of a strong Gym Leader.

Suddenly the bed dips under a familiar weight and an arm wraps around his shoulders, pulling him back to reality. Lance asks what he's still doing up at this hour and even as Silver mocks him for being overprotective yet again his heart feels warm. Suddenly he wonders why he was even _thinking_ about Dad, the mother he never knew, Team Rocket and Viridian City. He doesn't want to imagine a life without Lance's warmth, Lyra's teasing, Ethan's smile, the bonds he's formed with his Pokemon.

Silver smiles and snuggles further into Lance's embrace. This is reality, and reality has never felt better.


	19. Unpredictable

Silver's kisses were as unpredictable as the weather.

Their first kiss had been completely spur of the moment. They'd been arguing over something and suddenly Silver had leaned in and crushed his lips against Lance's. It was angry, sloppy and inexperienced and afterwards Silver had stomped off in a huff, leaving a confused Lance in the dust. Later he grudgingly admitted it wasn't that bad.

The next kiss had been more shy and awkward; Silver had actually asked Lance to kiss him and returned it so nervously, as if afraid of messing up. Afterwards he'd blushed and looked away, muttering that it would never happen again.

But it did, many times, and Lance never knew what to expect. Hard and aggressive, quick pecks, soft and gentle, slow and sensual or teasing and playful. Hard and aggressive was the most frequent of the bunch, naturally.

Then there was the frequency. Sometimes Silver couldn't get enough of him, other times he'd be his usual standoffish self. And other times he'd be surprisingly shy about the whole thing.

Ironically, never knowing what to expect was the one thing Lance _knew_ he could expect from his lover.

One night, Silver had come in from training and greeted Lance with a passionate kiss before going upstairs to shower, leaving Lance hot and bothered and just barely fighting back the urge to go in there and join him. Teasing, that was another thing Silver was fond of at times. Later the kisses had been hard, bruising, urgent as they tumbled into the sheets together. The next morning he'd been standoffish and pretended to grumble as Lance pecked him on the cheek on the way to the shower.

Silver's kisses were as unpredictable as the weather, as Silver himself. But such an unpredictable lover kept him on his toes, and Lance wouldn't trade him for anyone in the world.


	20. Accidental Sightings

_Warning: This chapter involves masturbation. If you'd rather not read about a teenage boy fapping to a grown man, hit the back button. Also part of this was taken from/inspired by Lexi's headcanon. :3_

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><p>He was not attracted to Lance. Not in the <em>slightest<em>.

Appreciative of, maybe. After all, the man had taken him in and given him a real home, bought him new clothes, cooked for him, trained with him. Silver knew he could be a jerk but he wasn't so much of a jerk that he didn't appreciate all Lance did for him.

And maybe he admired him. Just a bit. After all, Lance was one of the strongest trainers in the Kanto-Johto region. Taming dragons was a tough job and he did it with utmost expertise. So definitely a bit of admiration, or at least respect.

But he still wasn't attracted to him no matter how much Ethan teased him about it or how hard Lyra tried to play matchmaker. Silver had never seen the point in being sexually attracted to anyone before, all romance and sex did was get in the way of important things. Like his training.

Okay, so maybe Lance was kind of good-looking in a distant sort of way. He wasn't exactly _ugly,_ if nothing else. Except for his hair, of course, Lance's hair was just stupid. And so were his capes. So it wasn't even like he was_ that_ hot.

And he was a nice guy. Intimidating and arrogant with a fearsome reputation, but nice nonetheless. His Pokemon loved him to pieces and he'd helped Ethan and Lyra take down Team Rocket out of the goodness of his own heart. And of course he'd taken Silver in.

But being nice and not being ugly didn't mean he was attracted to the man, no matter what anyone else said. Ethan and Lyra could take their stupid jokes and theories and matchmaking and shove them hard, Silver thought as he headed upstairs. It had been a long day even without those two and their teasing, and he needed a shower.

Unfortunately, his mind being so occupied as it was, he didn't stop to consider that the shower was in use. He opened the bathroom door and immediately his vision was filled with Lance's naked silhouette.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen Lance in the shower. Shortly after he'd first moved in with him he'd accidentally walked in and seen him naked, and as a result couldn't talk to or even _look_ at him for nearly a day after. But only because he was so embarrassed.

Embarrassment was the furthest thing from his mind right now.

Lance scrubbed himself, oblivious to the fact that anyone else was in the bathroom, and Silver just _stared_. He'd never noticed just how well-toned and fit the man was, not that his clothes did much to _hide_ his muscles, but still...and his hair didn't look half bad when it was wet and slicked back from the water. _And this is only his silhouette, imagine what he must look like-_

Silver gasped sharply as he realized what he was thinking, and _cursed_ when he realized where his hand was. _No! Damn it, I'm** not** enjoying this, I'm **not**!_ but he couldn't tear his eyes away and he was unzipping his pants, hand sliding under his boxers. _Stop it!_ he tried to command himself but his hormones had a mind of their own.

_I'm not attracted to Lance,_ he thought over and over again as he stroked himself frantically. The words became a mantra even as he continued to watch, continued to imagine the wet naked man behind the curtain, even as he climbed higher and higher.

_Damn it-!_

He stuffed his free hand into his mouth and bit down to muffle his cry of release, then slumped against the wall, panting and hating himself.

_Stupid Lance._

With shaking hands, he cleaned himself off and zipped up his pants, then left the bathroom as quickly as he could. _That didn't happen,_ he tried to insist, but he knew it had.

"I'm not attracted to Lance," he whispered, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it more true, and cursed inwardly when he realized it was having the exact opposite effect.

_Damn it all!_


	21. Accidental Sightings: Side B

_Warning: This chapter...yeah, grown man thinking about dirty things he'd to do a teenager. But Lance feels guilty about it! Also I decided that 16 is the age of consent in the Pokemon world just because._

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><p>He didn't know whether to be disturbed or amused.<p>

He'd known he was being watched. Rushing water didn't hide _every_ sound, after all, much less the sound of Silver's voice no matter how quiet he thought he was being.

Sutbtley had never been Silver's strong point, after all.

Lance sighed as he shut off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. On one hand, when your stalker was as threatening as a wet Pidgey it was hard to be _too_ disturbed. On the other hand, this was different from simply being followed around, Silver had been _watching him in the shower_ and getting off on it. Had Silver been younger he could have written it off as a boy being curious, but he was fifteen. Lance remembered fifteen all too well, hormones running amok and making things that much more complicated.

The question now was, what to do? Confronting Silver was out of the question, he'd just deny it. _Was_ it even worth talking about? It was a blatant invasion of Lance's privacy, but something in him just couldn't be that angry. In fact..._no_, he thought, shaking his head as he reached for a smaller towel. _Let's not go** there**._

But his head was filled with images of himself catching Silver, moving the young man's hand away and replacing it with his own...or with his mouth, Silver gasping and moaning and completely at his mercy. Pinning Silver to the wall and _kissing him,_ Silver crying his name out over and over as Lance thrust into him, both of them climbing higher and higher towards the peak of-

"Ah!" Lance violently jerked his hand out from under his towel, glaring at his reflection in the mirror. "_No._" He rubbed his hair dry, trying to force those images out of his mind. "He's fifteen years old and he's your _ward,_" he said sternly. A grown man should not be having such dirty thoughts about a _boy_ even if he was only a year under the age of consent. He was still a boy, and he was still Lance's ward.

He finished drying his hair, put his bathrobe on and headed to his room. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself...after all, it was just this one time. Maybe it would never happen again.

Lance shook his head. _And Swinub can fly._

What in the world was he going to do about this?


	22. Rocky Adjustments

Ever since he'd become the Champion and moved into his mansion, Lance had grown accustomed to living alone. It wasn't too bad, Clair and the Elite Four came to visit as often as they could and so did Lyra and Ethan. He was fairly close to some of his neighbors and the Gym Leaders.

But he wasn't above admitting it was still rather lonely at times, and a small selfish part of him had been happy to take Silver in not just for Silver's benefit, but for Lance's own. Having someone else to share his home with, to laugh and train with and take care of made _him_ happy.

But of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows; of course nothing involving Silver would be. The two argued fairly often, Silver was terrible at domestic chores but insisted on doing them anyway, and of course there were Silver's eating habits. The boy tended to forget to eat and Lance was always having to remind him, and when they ate together Silver would nervously pick at his food unitl prompted to actually _eat._ Plus, Silver was one of the most stubborn people Lance had ever met, if not _the_ most stubborn.

But even all of this had done little to prepare Lance for their first major fight.

It started when Silver got in from training an hour later than he should have. Naturally Lance had been pissed, if Silver was going to be this late he should have called.

"I said I'd be back before dark and that was it!" Silver had snapped. "I didn't know you were gonna be so damn picky!"

"Silver, in case you haven't noticed,_ it's dark,_" Lance had said sternly. "And as long as you live under my roof I expect you to have the courtesy to call if you're going to be late!" And then something in Silver had _snapped._

"I never fucking _asked_ to live here in the first place! I could've done just fine on my own but you wouldn't shut up until I came with you!" he screamed. "You only took me in cause you felt like you had to! Well, I don't need your fucking pity!" And before Lance could even answer Silver had stormed out of the house in a rage.

Now Lance sat alone at the kitchen table, sipping from a cold cup of tea and worrying. Maybe he'd come down a little too hard on Silver...no, he couldn't have. He might have been pissed, but he'd tried his best to be civil about it. Silver had simply overreacted.

"Did he, though?" Lance sighed. There was something in Silver's tone that suggested more to the problem than him having an issue with the rules. He almost sounded _hurt_, like he expected Lance to hate him or ask him to leave. But why? Lance had done everything he could to make Silver feel at home, and even with their disagreements he was sure he'd succeeded.

Silver was just a naturally stubborn person, Lance knew that. But part of him couldn't help but wonder if something had happened in the past to make Silver so angry and mistrustful of people. And as he sat watching the clock, his worry for the trainer continued to grow. It was almost ten-thirty.

Lance sighed, rubbing his temples. He cared about Silver, wanted only the best for him. He had no reason to feel guilty for laying down rules. So why _did_ he? Was it really so difficult to balance his fondness for Silver with his authoritative side?

Just then he heard a tentative knock at the door; upon answering he found Silver standing there, looking somewhere between angry and guilty. His relief at knowing Silver was safe won out over his frustration, and Lance hugged him tightly.

"Welcome home," he whispered. Silver tensed slightly before relaxing into the embrace.

"Listen, I...well, earlier I guess I was kinda...maybe I should've been less..." He groaned. "Damn it, why does this have to be so hard?"

"I accept your apology," Lance said, releasing him from his embrace as he felt some of his stern worry from earlier returning. "You and I need to have a talk. Right now." Silver sighed, but followed him into the kitchen anyway.

"Maybe you were kind of right earlier," he said. "I should've called. But I_ did_ get back before it got _too_ dark, and nothing bad even happened to me."

"And maybe I shouldn't have pulled the _under my roof_ card," Lance said. "I didn't mean to make you feel like a burden. I do enjoy having you here, Silver." The younger trainer blushed slightly, looking down.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"But we both need to show each other more respect," Lance continued. "I'll respect your need for freedom if you respect my need to know that you're safe. From now on, _call me_ if you're going to be back so late. If something happened to you, I'd feel terrible."

"Because I'm your responsibility?" Silver scoffed. Lance shook his head, taking Silver's hand and gently squeezing it.

"Because I care about you." Silver's blush deepened and after a moment Lance felt him squeeze back.

"I...I'll try harder from now on, then," he mumbled. "Just don't be such a _dick_ about it next time or I'll have to kick your ass!" Lance chuckled, reaching up to ruffle Silver's hair.

"Sure you will," he said. Maybe this wouldn't be as agonizingly hard as he thought. A challenge, definitely, but one he was glad to have in his life.


End file.
